Another 3 AM wake up

Yes that's right it is 5:04 AM and I have been up since 3:35 AM - but not because Mick got me up, but because I woke up and had an awful coughing fit. I thought I might get back to bed, but I guess the coughing woke up Mick - so we went for a walk at 3:50 AM - I was very sick in the stomach upon waking, so made some hot tea with honey. The antibiotic is not being kind to my system - so I could not go back to bed anyway. I am hoping that in another hour or so, things will have calmed down enough that I can get back to sleep - so though I slept like a rock - it was only for 2.5 hours yet again. ARGH - PS - no need to wish me good health - I wish that too believe me - I just needed to vent :-)   

One more thing - I confess to being a little concerned that this is going to find its way to bronchitis or into pneumonia - it has happened before, not for a long time, but this seems to be the trajectory my life is currently taking.  

I was at K-Mart yesterday and I have been buying their "quick sale" items. So they put the sticker over the bar code so the cashiers notice the price - except that the cashiers have to scan the item too- so they have to remove the sticker. I have now purchased so many of these items, I helped the cashier with the process yesterday - you have to hit the override key before you scan or you have to start all over. How pathetic is it that I know how to do this process??

Speaking of pathetic - my vacuum really took a nose dive recently. If it were picking up say 10 items, it would pick up 6, leave 2, and shoot the other 2 across the floor. Clearly vacuuming was an exercise in futility. So finally, I bought a new one yesterday. No bells and whistles - it just sucks up the dirt - I was so excited that it actually sucked up the dirt I went a little crazy sucking up dirt in the house. Yes - I was excited about a new vacuum - PATHETIC!

As I laid this out - I realized that my life - thought could be much worse - is currently not living up to the potential it has. 

40 Years Later

     Last night was the culmination of a number of former students hard work at putting together a class reunion.  Our class president was a good friend, but she has apparently dropped of the map, so it is nice that others have picked up the mantle to carry on.  The people responsible for creating such a wonderful atmosphere, delicious food (including a smart choice to include a vegetarian option), and music that I was apprehensive about having, but in the end was wonderful dinner music.  As I was eating, I kept hearing songs that took me back to those days when life seemed difficult, and in truth was pretty easy.

     I arrived at the same time Denise arrived.  It was so great to see her after talking to her for a year or two on Facebook.  The conversation began with discussion of pictures on the name tags, which was such a good idea.  The reason that she felt that pictures on the name tags was important was because she had no idea who Stan Brown was and asked if I knew him.  I did and then she asked me about Ed Brown.  My response was that I had no idea that there was an Ed Brown in our class.  Seems there was.

     When I walked in, I was greeted with lots of hugs and "glad you could make it."  Thanks to Cheryl Carr - I had been in contact with a number of former students prior to this reunion, so I recognized a number of people immediately.  Seeing Cheryl Pinkos again after 40 years was wonderful.  She was such a good friend in elementary school.  She was always so dynamic and out going.  Right after that it was a wonderful conversation with Mike Freed who is now also a teacher!  Right after that conversation I talked with Robin Hughes.  I could not place her immediately but we have pets in common so conversation was easy.  I am always so glad to see Becky McCorkle - she was someone that I regret not getting to know better in high school, but we have been working hard to make up for those years.  After all of this things start to run together chronologically.  I was lucky to sit at a table with so many people I knew and really liked though there was a touch of irony at my table.

  Right before dinner started, Denise was over talking with me and she saw Stan Brown at the next table and upon turning around to look, I realized that Ed Brown was sitting across the table from me. We both laughed so hard, could not believe the very two people we were talking about were right in front of us!! She and I had quite a laugh over that one.  I saw Rodger Emswiler - someone I have not seen in 40 years.  Rodger and I played drums from 4th grade until I quit in 11th grade.  Christy Wadsworth and I had a great time catching up and of course Amy Miller and Lora Place.  There was Ellen Beth Jones, another former member of the percussion section of the band.  If Lora's husband Steve would have been there we could have really rocked.  Tom Freed, another percussionist was there, and though we are friends on Facebook, I never saw him.  I had the honor of sitting next to Robin Hughes and got to see Cathy Lightcap - both friends from elementary school.  Of course there was Sandy Schaffer, but I have seen her in the past couple years.  It was fun to see Kim Hixson again after all this time as well as Annette Peak and Micki Trego.  Mark Gentili told me a couple hilarious stories.  He is so demonstrative, not sure he was always like that.  I recall he had a lot of energy in high school, but he is one of those people you didn't talk to much in school, but now you kind of wish you had.  Tommy James was proud of the Spring-Ford Marching Unit and shared that with me.  I found out that there were a number of classmates that live in Lancaster.  Oddly, I talked to Mark Trach - who I really did not know very well, because I had classes with his twin brother Richard.  I bumped into Jim Shinehouse and reminded him of our accidental meeting in a flower shop in Lancaster years ago.  Darlene Umstead nearly knocked me over when she came up behind me and planted a big hug on me - since we also communicate on Facebook - we did not talk much because we both know what has been happening to each other.

A special shout out to Cheryl Carr - Cheryl if it had not been for you - there would have probably been no reunion.  You were very critical in helping to bring this to light.  Many people missed you and were thinking about you.  We love you Cheryl !!!

I was surprised at how much Roger Kerstetter still looks like himself and quite the dancer I might add.  I saw Wayne Nuremberg when I arrived and wanted to get back to talk to him and then lost track of him, but it was good to see him.  I can't write a blog post without mentioning Eileen - she is just an amazing person.  Shaunda Wonder had me sign her old year book and she took plenty of videos of the evening.  I am thinking that this was about all the people I had the chance to talk to.

We all kind of had our summary of 40 years to share, sounding at times like a story many had practiced before they arrived.  I guess when your time is limited you have to do that or else you will never get to see anyone.  There were many people that I ran into for the first time in 40 years that I would love to sit down and have a cup of coffee with and find out what really has been happening.  40 years is a long time and a lot of life gets lived in that time.  Most everyone who had children were either down to their last one in high school or had a couple in college, but many were what I would call empty nesters.  A few of us were retired, but many had another year to 10 years to work.  It is funny that all of us are beginning our next chapter of life - life after 50.  Some have barely aged - and you would know them anywhere, others have gone through radical changes and you would have no idea who they are now.  I do feel bad because Denise O'Brien said hello and I think it was the color of her hair, threw me for a loop - I had no idea who it was and when she told me I was totally embarrassed as we communicate frequently on Facebook!

The atmosphere was wonderful.  It felt welcoming from the time I arrived until the time I left.  There was only a period of about 4 minutes where I was by myself and wondering what to do.  Unfortunately, by the time this happened people had started to leave so I was kind of at a loss as to what to do.  It did not take long for someone to come by and talk with me.  The food was great.  I expected roast beef sandwiches and beer.  What I found was cheese ravioli, string beans, salad, and roast beef.  It was brilliant to have the vegetarian option given so many people our age are doing that these days.  Oddly, I went to my reunion where I had offers from friends in Lancaster to come and pick me up if I was unable to drive.   I had a ginger ale and a cup of coffee to drink all evening.  The music- excellent choices during the dinner hour.  They were all songs that were popular when we were in high school, which subconsciously put us all back there, but as adults.  The gift baskets were a great idea to help raise money and pay for the evening given there was little to no money for the event other than what we paid.  Thanks to Denise for the photo both.  I did not participate, but I saw others who did and it looked like great fun!

I guess the Class of '76 with our red, white, and blue tassels really grew up to be a unique bunch.  Sure some of the old cliques were obvious,, but mostly people tried to talk to people.  There was a list of class members that we have lost over the years.  The sobering thought to that is that list is going to keep growing now.  Some of our classmates that were there for this reunion may not make the next one.  It is really important if we value people and friends, that we really make an effort to connect to those who had some kind of effect on outlives before one of us is no longer around.

Sandy Schafer won the 50/50 and Tommy gave me the money to give to her because we live near each other.  We met a nice coffee shop Saturday afternoon, where we did our post-mortem on the event.  Sandy must have said multiple times what a great night it was - I know that Sandy was not the only one who felt that way.  Many felt that by far this was the best reunion ever.  Part of that is because we are all older and wiser now and not so caught up in ourselves anymore.  Hats off to the producers of this event.  You made memories for your classmates that they will keep forever.  Many people do not have the chance to do that for others, so you should feel very proud of what you accomplished through this event!!

So I understand that in 5 years it is to be a 3 day event including being introduced on the football field.  My brothers have been having 3 day events for a couple years now, but then they are much older than I am ;-)  So to everyone from the Class of '76 that reads this - see you in 5!

*If we talked and I missed your name - my apologies for not mentioning.  I have been dealing with brain fog since Saturday morning because of going to bed so late.

I am thinking that this is Mont Clare, because I am pretty sure Brian Dieter was from there.

I believe this is Limerick and oddly enough this is the class I probably know the least.  

I think this is Oaks - so Mark Trach, Jim Shinehouse, Kim Hinson, Rich Trach, Lora Place and Mel Schrader.

So many from Royersford and some you can't see.  

Spring City:  Back row-  Mark Emery, Carol Grubb, Darlene Umstead, Mike Freed, Lou D., Robin Hughes, Sandy Schaffer.  Front Row:  Bill Harker, Cathy Nightcap, Beth Roussey, Cheryl Pinkos, and Micki Trego

Bill's Saturday Morning Rant - Note This is pretty extreme - read with caution

DISCLAIMER - I want to be up front - these are totally my feelings and the ones I have been carrying around with me for quite awhile.  I needed to rant and it just exploded out of me today.  My intent is not to offend anyone for sure - but my intent is to unburden myself by speaking my true mind.  This really may not sit well with many people - I get that - I just that you respect my feelings as I try to respect yours by not posting snide remarks/rants on posts you make -  If you read this and we are friends on Facebook and all this bothers you - unfriend me - I'm not going to apologize - anymore - for what I believe and who I have grown to be.  I feel like I have regained some dignity in my life.  Some that was missing over the years.  Let me also say that when I went to the hospital and they asked if I wanted a religion designated to my file - my response was "No I like them all."  I have some very core beliefs about God - that you won't shake and that you may not believe or may even disagree with it - again that is your prerogative - but I am not required to believe what you believe anymore than I require you to believe what I believe - Spirituality is very personal and should be - Again comments to a rant are not necessary because they are not seeking any or is the rant an attempt to dialogue about a situation - if you want to dialogue - then we need to sit down face to face to do this - social media is not the place to dialogue.  Social media is the chicken shit way of dealing with people we don't like and get away with it - Social Media can be very good when used correctly - but Social media is being ruined by the idiots who do what they do - It is not the news causing all the problems among people - it is the likes of FB and Twitter and whatever other Social media outlet that allows for the spread of filth and lies about people.   Hmmm sorry looks like this disclaimer has turned into a rant too -  I guess I have a lot inside that has been boiling to come out.  It is simple folks - Love each other as you wish to be loved.   Let it go at that point.  

This is a rant that began with an article about teachers not wanting to teach in Indiana - whose governor at the time was Mike Pence - oddly most of Indiana hates him and they are overjoyed that he is now running for VP - 

Hmmmmmmmm and this now our VP candidate - I was a republican in my youth - then I grew up and learned about the world and the people in it - my world view expanding to include all people not just my immediate little world - at that point I switched. I like to think I am still conservative - but I like to think that people cannot determine things about other people - for me God is the only judge - And even those of us who think we have cornered the "God Market" based on a book that is at best filled with ideas of how people need to treat people - and laws that are so out-dated it is insane. Hence - judgment doesn't come until the end and no man should be judging others. No man should be saying my way is right and your way is wrong - I'm more right than you - NO ONE knows what "right" is - some people just think they do. To think any other way is just unwise - haughty - prideful - and arrogant. At best - we should - for better or worse be in this together - because we are all human beings - made up of parts of each other - get your DNA checked - Our country is free for a reason - Donald Trump is one of the scariest people I have ever seen or heard - The stench about others that comes out of his mouth is just plain wrong - it is filled with a lot of hate. Voting for him is just plain ignorant on your part - it means your world view is just not broad enough - to throw away a vote on another candidate is wrong too - because then you increase the chances of Donald Trump being elected (Can you say Brexit?) At worst - voting for Hilary - whether you like her or not - will last at the least 4 years - I know she can do a lot of harm in 4 years - but nothing like Donald Trump could do with his (and I would not be surprised) diminished mental capacity for knowing the difference between right and wrong - appropriate and inappropriate - One final closing thought - You are more than welcome to disagree with me - It is America - but we clearly do not agree on some very fundamental things - things that I have been swallowing since I've been teaching - I'm not teaching anymore and I am done swallowing - Unfriend me - I am totally fine with that - because chances are - neither of us are going to agree with much - doesn't mean I don't respect you as a fellow human - but it does mean that I don't have to listen to your rhetoric and try to agree with it - I have tried and once this election is over and behind us - I hope that our world becomes a civil place again where people can stop needing to be right about their beliefs and be open to what others have to say - to dialogue - to explain and more importantly - to listen to each other and come up with a compromise rather than taking your toys and going home when someone does not agreed with your way of thinking.

Over 2,000 VIEWS - Thank You so much!!!!

This blog has had over 2,000 views - I want to thank all of you very much for taking the time to read about my life - not extraordinary by any sense, but it is my life and the people who shaped or the dumb things I have done.  Please feel free to comment or if you see errors, mention them so I can fix them.  I actually do like writing, apparently I have since I was in junior high,  which is where I started keeping a journal.  I have books and books of my life story and my thoughts.

Again many thanks for reading!

Cheers!!!

Green Street to Moyer Road - the Sharon saga continues

The Adventures Continue - Green Street -

This is likely to be disappointing because, believe it or not, I don’t have many stories from Green Street.  I remember baby sitting Tracey and Todd somewhat regularly.  I also remember a picnic that was held in her side yard because it was a big side yard.  I believe it was around this time that Sharon’s first husband found the Lord.  That find caused a number of problems for them and eventually split them.  I am sure there were other reasons for their split, but I know that was one of them.  I believe that shortly after the split she sold the home on Green Street and moved to an apartment up outside of Boyertown right of Rt. 100.  

I know I visited there a couple times, not many, but I must have been 16 because I think I drove - but that is not necessarily true.  Most of my real memories come from her home on Moyer Road.  She had remarried by this time to Dave.  The house on Moyer Road was nice.  It was a 3 bedroom Goldie Locks and the three Bears kind of place.  Each bedroom got smaller.  The kitchen was actually small and as I recall I don’t know where they ate because there was not dining room.  An edition was built on, but maybe the dinning room edition was built and then they added another bedroom above the dinning room.  Most of my memories from Moyer Road came from after my parents moved to Florida an I moved in with Sharon.  

I became known as the “Basement Dweller.”  I got card board and made fake walls and then hung sheets over the cardboard to make my little room.  It offered me some privacy and gave me a cute little room.  I was able to have a bed and a small table and chairs from which to work.  The winters in the basement were quite nasty as it was VERY cold.  I had to burn a kerosene heater to keep warm over night.  They had also put a shower in the basement - in the laundry room though it was just a shower it helped with the fact that there was only one bathroom in the house.  

So my parents moved off to Florida and I moved into the basement as well as into my college dorm.  Sharon’s place was my home away from home - the place I went to when I needed to get away, do laundry, or get a good meal.  On breaks I generally spent my time at the house or would visit my parents- and most holidays I would end up in Florida.  

Once the new bedroom was made, Tracy moved into the downstairs master, Todd moved into his sister’s room and the spare room became a TV/Sewing room.  It was not long before it was a TV room.  There was a wicker chair in this room that faced the TV straight on - that was the optimal seat, and then there was  sofa and a small table for propping feet or putting food on.  Oddly, I ended up with that chair, which was Ada’s and is well over 30 years old.  It is still in use.  My fondest memories of the TV room included sharing the room with Todd - the master of the remote.  He would drive me freaking crazy switching channels constantly until he found something he liked.  At times it would upset me so much we would get into an argument about it.  It would turn out that Todd and I had quite a love/hate relationship - I suspect because at the time we were both terribly bull headed and because I was older, but he was bigger. but I digress.  Once Tracy married a very amazing man - Mike - she moved out and I was awarded the master bedroom and was not longer the “Basement Dweller.”  I know that this occurred while I was still at university.  

I learned quite a bit about life from Sharon, because she shared practically everything with me, despite our age differences.  It was funny to me, how over the years, someone who had been friends with my brother became so close with me.  I am not really sure what that was all about except that I did not have the greatest relationship with my parents, ok more my father than my mother - I am not sure if she felt the need to be that important adult in my life that maybe she didn’t have growing up and wanted to make sure I did.  It could explain why, to this day that has always been something I’ve wanted and actually do for young people.  I was privy to a lot of information about her children that, at the time they probably would not have been happy to hear about.  I never shared, always listened and tried to give my view as a 20 something.  Sharon was also - I believe even my father said this once - she was my confessor.  It was true.  At the time there was little she did not know about me.  She was source of great strength while I struggled to grow up, figure out who I was, and what I would become.  Navigating those years, as anyone knows, is quite difficult.  

In my final year of university, I was required to student teach.  Because I had to wait a semester before I could student teach, I lived full time at the house.  I was teaching bands everywhere, so I traveled extensively. It was nice to be home for a good meal.  I was provided a room on campus wth a couple friends for my student teaching, but it was a very small room and very cold.  Since my friends were not involved in education, they were able to stay up late and of course made a lot of noise.  I tied to make it work - they wanted me there and I wanted to be there, but it was just too much.  I decided to move back to Sharon’s and drive from Boyertown to Malvern - A drive that was - at the least an hour.  There were no slick roads in 1986.  One of the first days I had to go to school, I was in the upstairs shower, there was a knock on the door, the door opened and Sharon,announced, “Bill, I’m coming in.”  So there I was behind a shower curtain showering and on the other side was Sharon, my female cousin, going to the bathroom.  Needless to say this turn of events was a bit startling, even for me who was quite liberal in thought.  As it would turn out, this would be the only time during the day I could talk to her.  I left early for school and most evening by the time I returned she was in bed or out herself and then I was in bed.  My friends found it difficult to believe that we practiced this ritual daily and not only in the same way.  Sometimes it was she, who was in the shower, and I who was going to the bathroom.  That went on for several months.  

As this entry is already spiraling out of control - I will end it now - and return with more stories of Moyer Road.  What I remember most about Moyer Road - was that there were really some great times, times that I will forever cherish.

The Biggest Loser at Lancaster Honda

Since my double knee surgery, I was forced to cell my beloved little Honda Scooter.  The bug was put in me when I road on the back of my friend Jim's cycle in California.  In typical Jim fashion, after our first adventure on his bike, upon arrival at home, he paid me what he thought was very high praise.  He called me his best "motorcycle bitch."  I understood that it meant that I was a good person to have as a passenger because I moved like you were supposed to move on the bike.  We still joke about me being his "best bitch" - My last trip out - he did ask me to try, because parking in San Francisco is a nightmare and I had, along with my glasses, forgotten my handicapped parking placard.  I obliged, and though difficult and somewhat painful, I managed and the rides were short.  This rekindled in me my feelings of loss for my scooter.  I have several very funny stories about my scooter - but will save them for later - what follows is a true story of what happened on probably the second day I owned the bike.

Biggest Loser at Lancaster Honda

Ok ... so another story about the scooter. I went out two days ago or so and could not get the bike started. I bought a charger and it still would not start ... I went to buy a new battery today but my credit card was declined ... and then Seth (the guy who has answered most of my questions) said that it was odd to leave your key in the ignition for so long and to leave the lights on. I had not done that and was told that then the lights would not have been on. I mentioned that the turn signal, lights, and horn still worked. He asked me if I held in the front break when I started the scooter. Suffice to say it was good the card was declined (though a mystery about that) because my battery is fine. I came home and held onto the front break and it started right up. I mentioned to the workers that friends have suggested bubble wrap around myself when riding (Rick) but was informed it was not a good look ... God bless Seth because he just keeps encouraging me and telling me I will get the hang of it ... he doesn't even laugh in my face though Lord knows he could and probably should ... so today I was the Biggest Loser at Lancaster Honda!

After the fire and Craig and his family moved away, I started to hang out with a boy that lived across the street.  His family and my family were friends.  My brothers were friends with their daughter.  Tim, the young guy across the street, was probably about 4-5 years older than I was.  When we began hanging out, he was I think, in 6th or 7th grade so her was definitely older.   As I reflect back, I believe that Tim was not necessarily a bad kid, but he was adventurous and daring.  One of our goals was to always build or make forts.  We were always either taking with permission or actually kind of stealing the boxes from the knitting mill down the street.  Tim’s philosophy was that they had more boxes than they needed so they would not miss one or two.  As Tim was older, he had begun to smoke.  Little did he know I had too, so when we were together smoking was always something we did. 

Bottom line here is that when I started to hang out with Tim we frequently found ourselves in places that we should not be, doing things we should not be doing.  One of Tim’s favorite devices was fire.  Because of smoking we always had a lighter or matches making playing with fire a lot easier.  Most of the places we were playing in were not very safe to be making fires.  The buildings or structures were usually dried out making a fire quite easy.  

I recall he and I sneaking into the empty store next to his house and across the street from mine.  We climbed in an open window from his backyard and snuck around.  Tim and I also had candles and matches so we could make light in our new fort.  We settled in these little square type boxes stacked on top of each other.  Those became our respective "homes" within the store.  We set up candles in there so we had light.  I think we did this for about 2 - 3 days before my mother caught on.  At dinner THAT NIGHT, mom began asking all these questions about what Tim and I had been doing and where we were going.  She mentioned that she had looked for me several times and could not find me.   I've never been good under pressure and I sing like the proverbial canary. I told my mother everything.  Suffice to say that she was more than just angry.  I understood why she was concerned because the building was old and dirty and really could have gone up in flames pretty easily.  The message I heard was not of concern, but of real anger.  Thankfully mom was never real big on grounding because she was then stuck with me.  I was hoping that maybe a stern talking to would cover my punishment.

 Not only was I grounded for two weeks, but I was also forbidden to see Tim for two weeks.  And as if that weren't enough, she told Tim's mom what was going on and he got into trouble too.  It was a two-fer.  I guess when I was in elementary school I did normal things.  I was a bit of a hellion - I did a lot of things kids did not do until they were in Jr. High.  By the time I hit Jr. High, I had done a lot of stuff I probably should not have.  It was around this time that I began trying to be "The Best Little Boy."  Not sure how well that worked, at least in the beginning, but I believe by my senior year, I had really calmed down and began to focus on my future.

The Adventures of Sharon part dos - Spring City, Royersford, Limerick, and a trip to Rehoboth Beach

Sharon in the early days - well besides giving my brother "clown orange" hair - those early days are a bit of a blur.  I remember that she was a secretary at Spring City Elementary school when I started.  Beyond that, I don't have too many memories of her life in the Spring City apartment.

The house across from the Grace Lutheran Church, I also do not have a lot of memories.  She was married to Ernie and by this time she was a mother of at least one and I think two.  I remember jelly sandwiches sitting on a high chair.  I remember Ernie bopping in and out and even dancing.  I went there after the Saturday morning skate in the basement of the Lutheran Church.  Not always but, I would and then my parents would pick me up.  I believe that I was still in elementary school during this period because my cousin Lee Ann was in jr. high and that was with whom I went.

By the time she moved to Lewis Road, her daughter was the age of Barbie Dolls and I was probably in 6th or 7th grade.  I would go out and visit and play with Tracy's Barbies.  Actually I liked making clothes for them.  I didn't really play with them as much as I used them to design clothing (where were these design shows then uh - my life could have been very different!)  Anyway - it was during these visits that Sharon and I began to develop the basis for the relationship that has remained in tact all these years.  I also think that Sharon would let me smoke whenI was with her.  How cool was that?  I was smoking with an adult!    I do recall a night or two staying with the Tracy and Todd (they were in bed asleep)  maybe it was so she could go get cigarettes or something of that nature.

I don't remember what year it was, I remember that I had bought a daisy printed speedo (everyone wore them then)  to go to the beach.  I would have had to be in at least 7th maybe going into 8th grade.  My brother was working in Rehoboth Beach, DE and had a trailer he rented.  Sharon and I went down for the 4th and stayed with him in the trailer.  This was probably my first trip with someone other than my parents.  I know I was very excited.  She picked me up and by now we had established a pretty comfortable rhythm to our conversations.  We smoked as we talked.  We stopped at a strip mall on RT.1 to get some snacks.  I am not sure what I got, I think a crumb cake maybe because I ended up with a lot of crumbs in my crotch and this became a source a great hilarity for the both of us.  I believe there were a number of double entendres being used give meaning to the crumbs.  I think I may have even had a cup of coffee.  I was living large and feeling like an adult.  My other recollection of that trip was walking along the beach and my cousin telling me to look around.  I did and wondered what the deal was.  The deal was, we were standing on what is now called Poodle Beach - which is the primarily gay section of the beach.  She thought it would be funny to see my reaction.  I was immediately uncomfortable and wanted to leave.  I actually believe that she wanted to scope things out so we went into the water and held hands.  After a brief time, we headed back up the beach towards where the boardwalk was located.  This may have been when she moved to her grandmother's house and not when she lived on Lewis Rd.

After she left the house on Lewis Road, she moved into her grandmother's house on Green Street and I believe it was 2nd Avenue.  The house was left to her by her grandmother Ada.  It was through Ada, that I was related to Sharon.  Ada had not done much to the house in years, so when Sharon moved in, it required a lot of painting.  I remember going over there often to help her paint and probably to smoke.  I did enjoy painting and do to this day.  Thankfully I gave up smoking for good in 2002.  The adventures from Green street will come on another entry.

Thanks for reading - let me know if you enjoyed it - feel free to follow me to get live updates delivered to your box - or just say hi.  Let me know what you think of the elements of writing.   Cheers!

*****  If you have read this far - read this - I am in the process of getting my dates and years figured out - I found an old diary that should help with that.  I will update this more when I get the information I need .... 

The Adventures of Sharon and I

I saw my cousin Sharon today.  I have not seen Sharon in at least 3 years and maybe longer.  Sharon is the same age as my oldest brother - they went to high school together.  I did  not discover Sharon until I was in maybe late elementary school or jr. high.  I seriously don't remember.  I do remember that she used to live in a small apartment on Main Street in Spring City next to the Cigar Store.   She moved from there to a small home in Royersford, I think on Church Street - it was next to and across the street from the Grace Lutheran Church on Main Street.  From their I think she moved to a house our on Lewis Road.  That house has long been demolished, but it was just past the Bible Fellowship Church on a bad bend on the right.  From there I think she moved to Green Street, into what was - Aunt Ada's home.  I forget Sharon's connection to Aunt Ada, but when Aunt Ada passed, Sharon got the house.  Sharon's daughter, Tracy explained that Aunt Ada was Sharon's maternal grandmother.  From there Sharon moved up to Boyertown in a small apartment complex just off Rt. 100 before you got to the Boyertown exit.  Her next move was to a 3 bedroom home on Moyer Rd. just off Rt. 100, across from the Lower Pottsgrove Swim Club. After she left that home, she moved into an apartment in Royersford owned by, I think it was her cousin Cindy Astimer (I am sure that is not how you spell her last name and I am also sure that is no longer her last name- but that is what I remember).  From that apartment, she eventually moved to a small kind of cottage in the woods built by her husband Les.  It was a nice property and the two of them made some really nice upgrades to the property.  When Sharon's mother moved from Arizona, they added a suite for her which, as I recall, was quite nice.  Sharon continues to live in the house, though Les passed many years ago.

Sharon and I had many adventures together as did Sharon and my brother.  I often thought that they reminded me a bit of a male/female Laverne and Shirley.  My best memory was the night Sharon dyed his hair.  Neither my brother nor I were very happy about being brunettes, always wanting to be blonde- tan - and surfer looking.  Sharon agreed to dye his hair blonde.  So one night after my brother was done work (He worked with Sharon's first husband and the father of her two children Tracy and Todd - his name was Ernie) Sharon attempted to dye his hair blonde.  Of course she was not a hairdresser, maybe a wannabe, but this process required her to strip his hair.  My brother came home from this adventure and went to bed.  My mother went in to wake him the next morning and found that her son had this beautiful golden blonde hair.  She woke him, he sat up, she gasped in horror.  One side of his hair was, as I said, golden blonde.  Sadly, the other side was (my mother's words) "clown orange."  Mom was a trooper and did not pass out.  She simply told my brother that his father would kill him and that he needed to get his hair fixed ASAP.  He assured my mother that he and Sharon had worked out a plan.  She suggested that he remedy the problem before our father returned from work, which would have been about 5 PM.  I am sad that there were no pictures of his hair as it would have been and still would be excellent to post.  I am also sad that I never actually saw my brother with "clown orange" hair.  When my brother returned for supper, his hair had obviously been died, but he was now one normal color of brown.

I am sure they had many adventures, most of which I was not privy to, which is probably really for the best.  I know that my brother shared a lot with her, which I think was very good for him.  I know that in my formative years, I was lucky to have a friend like Sharon.  She suggested to today that we could write a book about our experiences together.  I decided that I needed some topics for this blog again and believe me - Sharon is a good one.  I will relay one finally story that I reminder her of today at lunch.

Again, as I said I too wanted to be blonde.  I was in college at Eastern University (It was College then) and my parents had retired to Florida.  I had the pleasure of living with Sharon.  I was, as her son Todd called me "The Basement Dweller."  Anyway I asked her to give me highlights before  went home to Ft. Lauderdale - so I would look all cool.  This was in the mid 80's.  I bought the frosting kit and away we went.  I could tell by the way she was touching my head that my highlights were maybe not quite right.  When she was done and I washed the bleach out of my hair, I looked at the back of my hair, and as I had suspect, she had created a checker board on the back of my head.  Ok so I escaped the "clown orange" but a checker board?  Really?  I did not scream real loud, but she found it quite amusing that she had created this effect on the back of my head.  She thought - as much as SHE liked the look - she should probably connect the squares.  She did and though my hair, where it had been bleached, had a red tint, it looked better and I was set for adventures in Ft. Lauderdale.

I think I will cover my adventures with Sharon chronologically based on where she was living at the time.

Thanks for reading and check back again for the next installment of Sharon. 

When the Show is on the Other Foot

As many of you have kept up with my blog - you are aware of the hell that was my life for the past couple years.  What I am particular talking about is the surgeries.  My furry buddies, of course did their best to take care of me while I was recovering from my surgeries.  They were loving and cuddling and even patient - sometimes.

Last week the show was on the other foot.  My nearly 15 year old Bischon, Mick, had several surgical procedures.  He had two teeth extracted (I think it was # 8 on the left side both top and bottom), he had a large fatty lump removed in his chest.  Thankfully it was not attached to anything so came out easily.  I think he may have lost nearly a pound with that removal.  Finally, he had these annoying lumps on his back.  Nothing serious, just kind of gross to touch/pet and they flaked - leaving pieces of Mick everywhere he went.  Reminds me of that song we sang as kids - "Leprosy - I'm the half the man I used to be."  They were removed with lasers and then stitched up with dissolving stitches.

His big day was a Thursday morning.  I dropped Mick off at the vet, where I was told, because of the lump removal, he would be first or second up.  I drove home to find his sister LU looking a bit sad because her nemesis was gone.  Because Mick had to be taken to the vet early in the morning, LU and I retired to the bedroom for a nap.

We woke up and I headed downstairs.  I checked the phone in case the vet called, but she hadn't.  I continued on with my day and eventually I did get a call around noon.  I was told that Mick did well in surgery and was now in recovery.  She said he was slowly coming around and would be ready to come home around 4 - 4:30.

I arrived at the vet and was given direction on how to care for Mick.  I was told he would probably sleep most of the time, which was a good thing.  I was given tremodol for pain, a drug with which I am familiar.  I only hoped that it helped Mick more than me.  Of course his activity was to be limited and I was to be careful of his stitches.  Eventually my little buddy arrived on the scene.  He was a bit dippy (more than usual) but awake and alert and excited to see his dad.  I have this never ending trouble with Mick - When I take him someplace he always sits nicely in the back seat.  When I bring him home, he insists on standing the entire time.  This often involves me telling him to sit down, or listening to Mick slide back and forth on the seat or occasionally hitting the deck when I have had to come to a stop.  I explained Mick's behavior to the vet tech who suggested I put him on the floor in the front seat of the car.

Loaded up, we began our track home.  Mick tried multiple times to jump up on the front seat, so I spent most of my drive time with one hand on the wheel and the other trying to keep him off the front seat by petting him around his ears.  At one point I glanced over and his little head was resting on the front seat, his tongue was hanging out to the side, and his eyes were closing slowly.  Two other times I glanced over and he was sitting on the front seat, his eyes would slowly close and his head would lilt to the side.  Suddenly he would almost fall over and then snap awake.  In truth, it was really quite adorable.

I discovered as soon as we got out of the car that Mick was not going to be an ideal patient.  I had trouble picking him, because he preferred to jump the steps.  I tried to make sure the living room was set for him, having washed all of his beds and covering them with clean towels.  I had to go out for the evening and when I returned, Mick was a little less excited to see me than usual, which was a good thing actually.  I gave him a little food, tried to walk him as I was warned that he had a lot of liquid in him and would have to tinkle a lot.  I decided I would get up around 3 AM to take him out just in case.  All went well and I was up again around 7 AM to do another walk and a little more food.  Friday ended up being a really chill day for the both of us.  I decided to do the same thing again on Saturday night to help the little guy out.  I was up around 3:30 AM to take him out.  Already by this time, I was beginning to struggle with picking him up for the steps.  Because of his surgery, i was not able to grab him as I always have and with his squirming - well - we nearly had a few disasters.

As luck  would have it, I did not set my alarm for AM, but rather PM.  Not to worry though because Mick was already feeling better and let me know it was time to go out by barking to get me awake.  It was 5:34 AM when we went out.  All went well and I went back to bed.  At 8 AM - I was awakened by the loud barks of my buddy Mick.  He was not hungry, he did not need a walk - no he just wanted me to get up so he could sleep in his bed while I sat near him.  He was starting to get healthy.

Some touchy subjects - bare with me

I wrote this post a long time ago - I still stand by my thoughts and beliefs in this post.  I will say up front - you may not like what I have said, and you may completely disagree. This is America - we are supposed to share our thoughts, have rational discussions and sort out the answers.  Since I wrote this, there has been so many shootings and hate crimes and other things, it is hard to believe that this is the America in which I grew up.  We all need to do a better job of being human to each other.  That means respecting each other - it also means we can disagree or not approve of things others do, but it certainly does not mean belittling, hurting, or flat out telling someone they are completely wrong.  Funny - none of us really knows what happens when we die.  Some of us like to think we do and believe that, I am one of those who does.  I am also one of those who believes strongly that people have to find their own paths, and that forcing someone to believe something they don't or suggesting they are wrong because they don't is just as bad.  Aretha Franklin said it best R-E-S-P-E-C-T  - it is time to do that with each other as human beings.

I try desperately to keep my political thoughts to myself on Facebook because I really hate reading the nasty comments back and forth between people.  I also think that people are entitled to their opinions -  If I have a friend on Facebook whose political ideas really upset me - I unfriend them.  We clearly have little in common.  I will say that rarely happens.

First - the Confederate flag -  I alway thought the flag was cool, but of course I never really understood what it meant.  I learned - the hard and embarrassing way - how many viewed the flag.  I was teaching Phoenixville's band.  Color presentations had all but disappeared from band shows, so we popped up a 1776 flag at the end of our show - 1776 was safe to pop without a "guard" which means that an American flag must be guarded by at least one weapon at all times.  Any other pseudo looking flag does not need to be guarded.  At the very last football game of the season - I thought it would be cool to switch flags.  Yes I had this romantic notion about the South and Gone With the Wind.  I loved the Mobile Azalea festival.  My favorite band was University of Southern Miss.  I was excepted to the University of Southern Miss. and Alabama on twirling scholarships.  What did I know - I was a dumb 20 something.  Mike Solick - a man I still hold in highest regard, was the band director.  The Confederate flag popped and he came after me.  He firmly explained to me what this flag stood for to many people.  That would be many people from Phoenixville - one of the most diverse towns in what was then, The Chestmont League.  Without knowing it, I had inadvertently insulted many of the parents of the students I loved.  I felt terrible, I was embarrassed, and wanted to hide.  That day I learned there was nothing good in that flag.  I still love the South - but they lost the war.  I would like to think that we have moved on from that time.  It is pretty clear that this is not the case.  I am amazed at the number of those flags that I still see on vehicles in Lancaster. I mean we are not exactly in the south.  Years ago a few students at Ephrata felt it necessary to hang a huge (I mean huge) flag off the top of the auditorium roof.  Those students were suspended.  Again - people need to move forward - not cling to the past.

Donald Trump -  I used to love his show, until I started to see him for what he really was on that show - arrogant bully.  He might be a teddy bear with his family and even his friends, but, and as much as I don't like Ted Cruz, I agree with him that this is not a person I want to have access to weapons that could begin a war.  His attitudes set us back years and years and years.  I am tired of people shitting all over O'bama -  He was never really permitted to do the job he wanted because the congress and the senate tied his hands.  You do not have to look far to see what has happened to the congress and senate since he became president.  I have just had it with the implications that O'bama is worthless.  I have just not heard one thing from Trump that would ever make me want to vote for him.  His ideas and thoughts move us back hundreds of years.  We can do all we want to try to stop attacks - but other countries have lived with this for years, we are soft and spoiled and to know that all you have to do is travel out of the country.  We created the technology - it should not be surprising that we have to know really deal with it.  Thanks Mr. Trump for attempting to turn the clock back to World War II behavior.  MOVE ON!

The Citadel - all you have to do is look at the pictures to know what those cadets had in mind - Christmas past ghosts?  Really?  I am appalled at the behavior of these arrogant young men.  These are men that I would not want serving my country - because I have been under the impression that this is the home of the "brave" and land of the "free."  What is brave about hiding behind masks and robes?  And how does this show that we (not that is a plural pronoun) are free.  Free to do whatever the hell we want?  Not free to be humane to others.  "Do unto others?"  I guess high school teachers no longer tell the stories of the past - so history does not repeat itself -  that is moving backwards and not forward.

Radicalized is a now popular term.  I read this a few days ago and as I was looking through my blog this morning before I typed all this - I saw a post where a year or so ago I said this very same thing.  These people who kill people in the name of Christianity - smack very similarly to those that kill people in the name of Islam.  I am not sure what the difference is hear.  I don't know anywhere in the Bible where Christ tells us to go kill people with whom we do not agree.  It is time we (and by we I mean the media since they have their nose in everything constantly stirring the pot!) call it what it is - These are radicalized Christians.  If it walks like a dog, smells like a dog, and goes to the bathroom like a dog - it is probably a dog.  All of this makes me think of "The Crusades" which had people killing in the name of Christianity -  Hello - that is backwards progress - nothing forward about that.

I read a very disturbing article this morning from the Daily Beast.  I don't know if this is a reputable source or not.  What I do know is that what they printed as truth was very upsetting.  This was about Marco Rubio - the moderate of the GOP -  The article is way too long to cover in a blog post - but the gist was that he wants to reverse marriage equality and work place equality.  I want to make this clear - I am not a fan of abortion, I believe there are so many other alternatives to abortion, but I am not a woman and it is not my body, therefore I have no right to make those decisions for someone else.  Not my body not my choice.  There are probably many valid reasons for having an abortion - reasons that I, in my life, will never understand, but it is still not my right to force my beliefs on others.  When men start to make decisions for women's bodies - there is a serious problem.  There was a court case that solved this issue.  The issue was settled.  You don't have to like it, but you need to respect the rights of others.   Same-sex marriage was settled.  It was voted on and settled.  I have many gay friends who are now married - what would happen to these marriages if this law was reversed?  Home of the free land of the brave?  Why must people continue to turn back time - Even Cher only thought about turning back time, but she never did.

Finally - if you are not happy with what I had to say - I seriously don't care and honestly - I don't really care if you agree with me.  What I care about is that maybe there is something in this post that makes you think again about antiquated ideas that have us continually not being the home of the brave and land of the free.   Ladies and Gentlemen - it is time to let go of the past and move on.

A Post that was not Posted from a year or more ago

It's been quite awhile since I posted in this blog - but was encouraged to start again by my former high school class mate Linda.  The problem is what to write about.  It's not like nothing has happened to me over the past months, but a good deal of it is not really pleasant.  I guess though we grow through our struggles.  I think I had this crazy notion growing up that as I got older, life would become less complicated and ..... well .... yes I'll say .... easier.  Whew - what a lie that is.

I am pretty sure I have said this before - but you never know when a crisis is going to strike.  In this day and age, having a plan is crucial.  Many of us reading this may be blessed enough to still have our parents, but for those of us who don't or whose parents are not well, life becomes even more complicated.  I think many of us grow up thinking that our parents will always be there and they will always help us when things get rough.  Sadly this is not always the case.

So first - do the best you can to put money away in case.  I knew I had bad knees, but had no idea that at the end of two years, I would be deemed disabled and on disability.  I had no idea that many times walking from the living room to the kitchen would bring me to tears.  I had no idea that taking a nice long walk would no longer be a part of my life.  I was at least blessed to have some income and many friends who came through with support, I would have not survived the two years.  Do whatever you can to put money away.

Winter Guard 2015 - a synopsis

It is true that my last post to this blog was February 2015 - there sure was a lot of road to travel between there and February 2016.  I will slowly begin to catch up as I have gotten back into blogging again and do see the value in it - really -

To be honest I just kind of existed from February through to the Spring.  I teach a winter guard and our plan was to attend the TIA Championship in Wildwood, NJ.  As a result we were working fairly hard to get our act together so we could compete.  Though we did work hard, the young women in the group still found it difficult to really work hard and dedicated themselves.  They did not take correction or direction all that well.  We had some rather dramatic moments with the mental stability of some of the young ladies.  One such incident, sadly lead to one of the young women quitting.  Mental Illness is no joke.  As we all know it affects a large percentage of America, but if we would lighten our culture a bit, it might go away.  We make ourselves crazy.  But I digress.  We had a student quit the week before we were to go to Wildwood, leaving more problems.  Though the show ended up being OK - it was in fact - OK.  The only good thing about this trip was that they were not last in their group.

As the summer began, I was having trouble getting the girls to come to practice as I had done every summer previously.  Many of the girls were now graduated and fending mostly for themselves or were seniors who needed to work to get money for college.  It was discouraging, but I managed.  As cliche' as it may sound,  I finally left in God's Hands - if there was going to be a color guard, then there would be one and I would stop worrying about it until the time got closer.  If there was not going to be one - we last two more years than I could have imagined.

I found myself - still in fairly fragile condition, and constantly worrying about falling.  I was hired to work with a local high school band as a weapons (rifle) instructor.  After a late start because of the application process- I began to work there.

Of course there is much more to the story, which I will relate in another post.  Thanks for reading and again- I intend to keep this up again.  I think it filled the need I had at the moment, but it is always good to write- as a former English teacher, one of my favorite parts of teaching was - the writing process.  I thought I was pretty good at if I must say so! I also enjoyed teaching a course that I continued to develop over the years called Contemporary Man.  Anyway - I sense rambling mode approaching so I will say my fair wells for now - Cheers!